CHERRY HILLS VILLAGE — In 1960, “Arnie’s Army” swarmed Cherry Hills Country Club to cheer on Arnold Palmer’s final-round charge in the U.S. Open, while also catching a glimpse of an aging Ben Hogan and a 20-year-old college kid named Jack Nicklaus who could belt it a country mile.

A quarter-century later, crowds returned to Cherry Hills to salute a new era of stars, spanning the likes of Tom Watson, Lee Trevino, Seve Ballesteros and an up-and-comer with Hollywood looks, Fred Couples.

Pick a generation, and there’s always the hot player, the sexy star, the next great one.

This is Rory McIlroy’s time. And it may last a long, long time.

McIlroy, 25, can complete a personal grand slam next April by winning the 2015 Masters. A win in Augusta would give McIlroy five majors and his third in a row. But first, McIlroy would like to win this week’s BMW Championship, which begins Thursday morning with the opening round, and then claim the FedEx Cup series title next week in Atlanta.

“Rory is a special player and a good dude,” said another skilled 20-something, Keegan Bradley, before Wednesday’s pro-am. “He’s very driven. When he’s at his best, he’s tough to beat.”

As expected, McIlroy has become the crowd favorite at Cherry Hills. His magnetism attracts fans of all ages. So does his immense talent.

As Tiger Woods did in his prime, McIlroy can overpower a golf course, even the best of them.

McIlroy breezed to eight-stroke victories at the 2011 U.S. Open and 2012 PGA Championship. He may have learned more about himself, however, during his past two majors wins — by fighting off challenges from Rickie Fowler and Sergio Garcia for a two-stroke win at Royal Liverpool in the British Open this summer and completing his back-nine comeback in the 2014 PGA Championship.

“It means that I know I can do it,” McIlroy said of prevailing in tight ones.

At 5-foot-10 and 160 pounds, McIlroy seems to defy the laws of physics with the energy and power he can exert on a golf ball. Watch the hip turn. Blink, and you miss it. And, like a home run slugger, McIlroy makes contact on the upswing with his drives.

Ka-boom!

“It’s funny, Cherry Hills doesn’t really allow you to hit it that far,” McIlroy said. “You really need to place your ball in the fairway. But I did hit a 3-wood today 370.”

Forget the advantages of altitude. Think about that — 370 yards with a 3-wood?

“That was pretty good,” McIlroy said. “But the ball is going forever. It really is. So it’s going to be good for me here.”

Speaking at his BMW Championship news conference Wednesday, McElroy said he enjoys being the leader of the new generation of tour players. With two tournaments remaining, 16 players in their 20s have won PGA Tour events in 2014. That’s five more than in 2013.

The young lions are here to stay.

“We are part of the generation that watched Tiger Woods play,” said Bradley, 28, who was named Tuesday to the U.S. Ryder Cup team. “We grew up seeing Tiger Woods only talk about winning and wanting to win right away.

“What you’re seeing now is seeing the influence of Tiger on the PGA Tour and on my generation. We didn’t come on tour scared of anybody. We were very respectful of the players. But Tiger kind of taught us to come (on the tour) with the mind-set of winning.”

That bodes well for the future of the sport, said Ernie Els, winner of four major championships.

“Us old-timers, we still have a lot of game, but guys like Rory and Rickie, this is their time,” Els said. “I think golf is in good hands. They’re great kids.”

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